Confessions of a Pageant King

High-performance pageant coaching, shared weekly. Trusted by 350+ titleholders in Miss Universe, Miss USA, Miss America, and beyond. This isn’t theory. It’s what works. Start your journey for free:👉 https://thepageantproject.com/subscribe--Most contestants don’t have a talent problem.They have a coaching problem.And they usually don’t realise it until they’ve already spent months, sometimes years, doing everything they were told…Only to step on stage sounding exactly like everyone else.This week, I broke down 7 red flags to watch for in a pageant coach.This came off the back of a conversation I had with Ashley Gonor, where we went deep into what’s broken in pageant coaching and what actually needs to change.If you want the full interview, you can watch it here:👉 Watch the full interview with Ashley GonorBut here’s the short version.👀 The Pattern I Keep SeeingA contestant comes to me and says:“I feel like I sound too pageant.”“I feel like I’m saying the same thing as everyone else.”“I’ve been doing everything my coach said… and I’m not improving.”And within minutes, it’s obvious why.They’ve been taught:* The same opening lines* The same structure* The same “safe” answersDifferent girl. Same script.🚩 The 7 Red FlagsIf you’re working with a coach right now, or thinking about hiring one, watch for these:1. They rely on outdated credentials Coaches who trade on having won a state title “5,000 years ago” or being a “sponsored/official coach” without showing how their methods have evolved. The world changed dramatically even just since COVID — if their coaching hasn’t, that’s a problem.2. They teach a formula that can’t possibly work The “do A and you win” model is logically flawed. If you teach 10 contestants the same formula, only one can win. A coach selling certainty of outcome is selling something they can’t deliver.3. Their entire toolkit is “think positive and be yourself” That’s not coaching — that’s a bumper sticker. If a coach can’t go deeper than surface-level positivity, they’re not equipped to help a contestant at a meaningful level.4. They bring their client down instead of elevating them When a contestant outgrows a coach or challenges them, a bad coach turns it around on the girl — calling her “too pushy” or “expecting too much” rather than acknowledging the fit isn’t right.5. They answer for the contestant Your example of the mom coaching answers during a mock interview session is a version of this. Any coach who doesn’t protect the contestant’s voice and authentic expression is doing damage, not development.6. They focus entirely on strategy and ignore mindset Walk technique, interview scripts, stage routines — these are strategy. A coach obsessed with strategy while ignoring state and story is only ever going to get 10–20% of the result they could.7. They don’t know when to refer out or let go A good coach admits when they’re not the right fit. A red flag coach holds on to clients they can’t serve, or worse, holds them back.🙈 The Uncomfortable TruthA lot of contestants don’t need more coaching.They need to unlearn what they’ve been taught.Because if you’ve been trained to:* Follow the same structure* Use the same phrases* Deliver the same polished answersYou’re not being prepared to stand out.You’re being prepared to blend in.🎯 What Actually MattersNot more scripts.Not more memorisation.What matters is:* Your state: how you show up under pressure* Your story: what you believe about yourself* Your strategy: yes, it matters, but it’s not the driverIf your coach isn’t working on all three, you’re leaving results on the table.✅ A Better Question to AskInstead of asking:“Is this a good coach?”Ask:“Is this making me more me… or more like everyone else?”Because if you want to win, you don’t need to do what everyone else is doing.You need to do what they’re not.If you want the deeper breakdown, including the full conversation that sparked this, watch the interview with Ashley here:👉 Watch the full interview with Ashley GonorThen take a hard look at who you’re learning from.It matters more than you think.Adrian.--Looking to win your next pageant interview? We hold weekly mock interview sessions on Thursday evenings at 8pm ET. Sign up at:👉 pageantmock.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepageantproject.com/subscribe

Looking to win your next pageant interview? We hold weekly mock interview sessions on Thursday evenings at 8pm ET. Sign up at:👉 pageantmock.com--I’ve been working with a lot of clients on branding and strategy recently.These are words that are thrown around far too often in pageantry, usually by coaches who have no idea what they mean.I’m not talking about your ‘branding kit’ - fonts, hex colors, headshots etc. I’m talking about who you are, what you stand for, and how people remember you.If they remember you at all.* Nike =Just do it* Apple = Think different* FedEx = When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight* The Pageant Project (me) = The best way to succeed in pageantry is to create an amazing life outside of itA client asked me for help with content creation, but that’s rarely a problem unto itself. The bigger problem is you have no idea WHY you’re posting in the first place, plus you’re unclear as to what your brand or core message is.In this week’s video, I walk you through the 3 content creation questions you need to be able to answer.Plus, I’ll show you how to use ChatGPT to replace me (partially).Adrian.--I offer a limited number of private coaching sessions for contestants who are serious about taking home the crown. Find out more:👉 thepageantproject.com/coaching This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepageantproject.com/subscribe

High-performance pageant coaching, shared weekly. Trusted by 350+ titleholders in Miss Universe, Miss USA, Miss America, and beyond. This isn’t theory. It’s what works. Start your journey for free:👉 https://thepageantproject.com/subscribe-Who's the pageant GOAT (Greatest of All Time)? The Pageants & Tangents crew discuss their picks - who's yours?-Pageants & Tangents is an irreverential and honest take on modern-day pageantry, hosted by Adrian Kwan, Founder of The Pageant Project.Got a pageant issue or question you want us to discuss? Submit it here:👉 https://pageantpod.comOUR CO-HOSTS:Morgan Morgan:* https://www.instagram.com/morganmorganbonafide/* https://www.morganmorganfitness.com/Peyton Christen:* https://www.instagram.com/peytonkaynec/* https://www.instagram.com/missgavol/Haley Poe:* https://www.instagram.com/haleygracepoe/* https://www.youtube.com/@haleygracepoeFor all media and sponsorship enquiries:👉 [email protected] to win your next pageant interview? We hold weekly mock interview sessions on Thursday evenings at 8pm EST. Sign up at pageantmock.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepageantproject.com/subscribe

High-performance pageant coaching, shared weekly. Trusted by 350+ titleholders in Miss Universe, Miss USA, Miss America, and beyond. This isn’t theory. It’s what works. Start your journey for free:👉 https://thepageantproject.com--👑 ABOUT ADRIAN KWANAdrian Kwan is the founder of The Pageant Project and a pageant interview coach known for helping contestants perform at their best when it matters most. Based in Sydney, Australia, Adrian began his journey in the pageant world as an interviewer after working as a tennis coach at an all-girls school, where he saw firsthand the challenges young women were facing around confidence and mental health. What started as a simple idea to interview inspiring women soon evolved into one of the largest interview archives in pageantry, with more than 350 interviews on The Pageant Project alone and over 500 long-form conversations across podcasts and other platforms.Today, Adrian focuses on high-performance coaching for pageant contestants, drawing on his background in sport, psychology, and interviewing to help women develop the self-awareness, communication skills, and strategic thinking needed to succeed in interview. Through The Pageant Project, he works with contestants from major systems including Miss USA, Miss America, and Miss Volunteer America, offering coaching, mock interviews, and educational content designed to elevate both performance and personal growth. His broader mission is simple: to help contestants become not just stronger competitors, but stronger women who use pageantry as a platform for growth, leadership, and impact.👉 FOLLOW ADRIAN KWAN* https://www.thepageantproject.com/* https://www.instagram.com/thepageantproject/--Looking to win your next pageant interview? We hold weekly mock interview sessions on Thursday evenings at 8pm ET. Sign up at:👉 pageantmock.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepageantproject.com/subscribe

Looking to win your next pageant interview? We hold weekly mock interview sessions on Thursday evenings at 8pm ET. Sign up at:👉 pageantmock.comThis week I’m taking you back to a live webinar I did with Miss Georgia Teen USA Isabella Bloedorn.Georgia is in incredibly competitive pageant state, and Isabella managed to win her title despite it being her first-ever time entering a pageant, and she credits her interview as a huge reason.Many of you have big pageants coming up, and you might be asking yourself:“How can I stand out?”The answer is deceptively simple.Think different → Be different → Act different → Get different resultsPageant success always starts with how you think. How you plan. How you strategize.Your goal should be to outthink and outsmart your competitors at every turn. Avoid cliches at all cost. And be the one playing chess when everyone else is playing checkers.In this webinar replay, one thing will be very clear: the strategic way Isabella reverse-engineered her pageant success.Your mind may never work in quite the same way as Isabella’s does, but even a little strategic thinking goes a long way.Best,Adrian.I offer a limited number of private coaching sessions for contestants who are serious about taking home the crown. Find out more:👉 thepageantproject.com/coaching This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepageantproject.com/subscribe

High-performance pageant coaching, shared weekly. Trusted by 350+ titleholders in Miss Universe, Miss USA, Miss America, and beyond. This isn’t theory. It’s what works. Start your journey for free:👉 https://thepageantproject.com--Pageants & Tangents is an irreverential and honest take on modern-day pageantry, hosted by Adrian Kwan, Founder of The Pageant Project.Got a pageant issue or question you want us to discuss? Submit it here:👉 https://pageantpod.comOUR CO-HOSTS:Morgan Morgan:* https://www.instagram.com/morganmorganbonafide/* https://www.morganmorganfitness.com/Peyton Christen:* https://www.instagram.com/peytonkaynec/* https://www.instagram.com/missgavol/Haley Poe:* https://www.instagram.com/haleygracepoe/* https://www.youtube.com/@haleygracepoeGUEST CO-HOST:Geanna Koulouris:* https://www.instagram.com/geannakoulouris/For all media and sponsorship enquiries:👉 [email protected] to win your next pageant interview? We hold weekly mock interview sessions on Thursday evenings at 8pm EST. Sign up at:👉 pageantmock.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepageantproject.com/subscribe

High-performance pageant coaching, shared weekly. Trusted by 350+ titleholders in Miss Universe, Miss USA, Miss America, and beyond. This isn’t theory. It’s what works. Start your journey for free:👉 thepageantproject.com--👑 ABOUT BAILEY GODFREYOriginally from a small town in rural Indiana, Bailey Godfrey now calls Philadelphia, Pennsylvania home. A biochemistry and molecular biology graduate and Division 1 athlete from Wake Forest University, she is an aspiring physician currently applying to medical school and working as a researcher at one of the best children’s hospitals in the United States studying gene therapy cures for sickle cell disease.Recently crowned Miss Berks County 2026 in the Miss America Organization, Bailey uses her platform as a megaphone to share her story of growing up in a low-income household plagued by addiction and abuse. Through her advocacy, she focuses on addiction awareness and prevention while also serving as a mentor for youth who feel limited by their life circumstances like she once did.👉 FOLLOW BAILEY GODFREYhttps://www.instagram.com/baileygodfrey7/--Looking to win your next pageant interview? We hold weekly mock interview sessions on Thursday evenings at 8pm ET. Sign up at:👉 pageantmock.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepageantproject.com/subscribe

High-performance pageant coaching, shared weekly. Trusted by 350+ titleholders in Miss Universe, Miss USA, Miss America, and beyond. This isn’t theory. It’s what works. Start your journey for free:👉 https://thepageantproject.com/subscribe--This is not for the girl who’s just happy to be there.This is for the one who would smile as first runner-up… and then go home and tear her prep apart.If that’s you, listen carefully.You’re not losing because you’re lazy.You’re losing because you love being busy.And being busy makes you feel significant.It feeds your achiever identity. It makes you feel disciplined. Driven. Different.It feels powerful to:* Train twice a day* Stack your calendar* Say no to everything except prep* Be exhaustedIt feels like proof that you want it more.But busy without direction is the beginning of delusion.Because effort is not the differentiator at the top level.Strategy is.Here’s the shift most competitive contestants never make.They start with themselves.* My platform* My talent* My wardrobe* My workout planThat’s backwards.Killers start with the system.They ask:* What is this pageant actually trying to produce?* Is it growing?* Is it rebranding?* Is it chasing visibility?* Is it building scholarship credibility?* What kind of titleholder makes the director’s life easier?If you haven’t reverse-engineered the system, you’re guessing.And guessing does not win major pageants.Think of an old-school Venn diagram. There are two circles:* What the pageant wants.* What you bring to the table.Your job is to expand the overlap.If the overlap is small, you have work to do.If there’s no overlap, you either chose wrong or you need to evolve.And if you’re truly competitive, evolution should excite you.But here’s another uncomfortable truth.Most of you over-invest in your strengths.* You polish the walk you’re already confident in.* You refine the talent you already enjoy.* You keep rehearsing what makes you feel capable.Meanwhile, the component that could cost you the crown stays underdeveloped.That’s not discipline. That’s ego protection.Because achiever types don’t like uncertainty.Stop training skills in isolation. Start training outcomes.Instead of asking:* How do I perfect my walk?Ask:* What wins runway in this venue?Instead of:* How do I tighten my answers?Ask:* What makes them see me as the inevitable titleholder?Instead of:* What talent should I perform?Ask:* What dominates in this room?There is a difference between looking prepared and being inevitable.That difference is strategic thinking.That’s what this week’s video is about.In it, I break down:* The real mistake hyper-competitive contestants make every year* Why “just be yourself” is weak advice if you actually want to win* How new and rebranding systems change the strategy completely* Why being busy feels productive but often isn’t* And how to think about every component through a strategic lensThis is not a tactics video.It’s a mindset and positioning video.This is you playing chess whilst everyone else is playing checkers.If you’re serious about winning, this is upstream work.Most contestants will never think this way.That’s why most contestants never win.If this made you uncomfortable, good.Now go watch the video.Then get to work.Adrian.--Looking to win your next pageant interview? We hold weekly mock interview sessions on Thursday evenings at 8pm ET. Sign up at:👉 pageantmock.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepageantproject.com/subscribe

High-performance pageant coaching, shared weekly. Trusted by 350+ titleholders in Miss Universe, Miss USA, Miss America, and beyond. This isn’t theory. It’s what works. Start your journey for free:👉 https://thepageantproject.com/subscribe--👑 About AudreyAudrey Whisman was crowned Miss Pennsylvania Volunteer back in October, and has been living her dream life ever since! She has already travelled over 17,500 miles and attended over 50 appearances, and is still just getting started! Join as she discusses her year so far, her experiences overcoming Selective Mutism which led to the creation of her SERVE Initiative: Beyond the Silence, and much more! She’s currently preparing to represent Pennsylvania at the Miss Volunteer America national competition this June, and is launching National Drop-Off Day in collaboration with The Salvation Army to inspire service nationwide. Audrey believes your biggest struggle can become your greatest strength, and she’s living proof.👉 Follow Audrey:https://www.instagram.com/misspavol/https://www.instagram.com/audreywhismanofficial/--Looking to win your next pageant interview? We hold weekly mock interview sessions on Thursday evenings at 8pm ET. Sign up at:👉 pageantmock.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepageantproject.com/subscribe

High-performance pageant coaching, shared weekly. Trusted by 350+ titleholders in Miss Universe, Miss USA, Miss America, and beyond. This isn’t theory. It’s what works. Start your journey for free:👉 https://thepageantproject.com/subscribe--Pageants & Tangents is an irreverential and honest take on modern-day pageantry, hosted by Adrian Kwan, Founder of The Pageant Project.Got a pageant issue or question you want us to discuss? Submit it here:👉 https://pageantpod.comOUR CO-HOSTS:Morgan Morgan:* https://www.instagram.com/morganmorganbonafide/* https://www.morganmorganfitness.com/Peyton Christen:* https://www.instagram.com/peytonkaynec/* https://www.instagram.com/missgavol/Haley Poe:* https://www.instagram.com/haleygracepoe/* https://www.youtube.com/@haleygracepoeFor all media and sponsorship enquiries:👉 [email protected] to win your next pageant interview? We hold weekly mock interview sessions on Thursday evenings at 8pm ET. Sign up at:👉 pageantmock.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepageantproject.com/subscribe